Typically made to store sewing implements, bottles or small accoutrements of their owners, needlework caskets were used as teaching tools for girls 8 to 11 years old, and their completion was the culmination of the students’ needlework education. Subject matter for the caskets often included biblical scenes, flora and fauna, or married couples. This wonderful example of 17^th-century British embroidery combines silk threads, goldwork and metal applique to add depth and texture to embroidered motifs.

A Charles II Needlework Casket, 17th century
9-1/4 x 8-5/8 x 5-3/4 inches (23.5 x 22 x 14.5 cm)
Estimate: $5,000-$7,000
Auction: December 1

Executed at the height of Louis Marie de Schryver’s development as a painter, Flower Seller, Rainy Day epitomizes the elements so central to the artist’s work at this time, specifically the bountiful florals and the depiction of a fleeting moment in an afternoon of the women of Paris. Ordinary moments such as this one captured in remarkable detail granted de Schryver significant popularity during his lifetime. His technical skill and compositional spontaneity position him firmly at the pinnacle of Belle Époque artists.

Louis Marie de Schryver Flower Seller, Rainy Day, 1888
Oil on canvas
41 x 62 inches (104.1 x 157.5 cm)
Estimate: $80,000-$120,000
Auction: December 7

The reign of King Chulalongkorn, also known as Rama V, was a pivotal period in Thailand’s history, marked by extensive modernization and reform efforts. In 1880, this six-piece “Bullet” Presentation Set of Rama V was struck in commemoration of Chulalongkorn reaching the same age as his mother, Deb Sirindhra, who died at 28. The offered set, arguably the most famous and coveted set in Thai numismatics, is one of three intact sets, out of an estimated population of just eight sets, to reach the auction market.

Rama V (Chulalongkorn) 6-Piece Uncertified “Bullet” Presentation Set CS 1242 (1880) UNC
Estimate: $150,000-$250,000
Auction: December 9-11